Chief, Business-driven Trade and Investment Facilitation, DMD/BTIF, P-5

Chief, Business-driven Trade and Investment Facilitation, DMD/BTIF, P-5

ITC – International Trade Centre

Geneva, Switzerland

Org. Setting and Reporting

Within ITC, the Division of Market Development (DMD) leads two of the organization’s four core services areas, namely “Improved business, trade and market intelligence (public goods)” and “A more conducive policy and regulatory environment for MSMEs”. DMD is composed of three sections, which jointly offer competitive intelligence tools and services, provide trade data and analytical trade products, develop thought leadership and applied research on MSME competitiveness, support governments in the design and implementation of trade development strategies, advise on trade and investment policy and regulatory reforms and assist countries in facilitating trade and building a conducive business environment for the benefit of the business sector. This recruitment is for the position of Chief of the Business-driven Trade and Investment Facilitation section, one of the three sections within the DMD, responsible for the following programme areas: Business survey-led diagnostics: a powerful method for gathering actionable insights directly from businesses, by capturing the perspectives and experiences of companies, these surveys help identify challenges, inform policy makers and drive economic growth and diversification. This approach ensures that decision-making processes are grounded in real-world data, fostering a more supportive and efficient regulatory framework that addresses the actual needs of the business community. NTM monitoring tools and related advisory: a set of services for enhancing transparency, efficiency, and compliance in international trade. By leveraging these tools and services, businesses can better understand and navigate the complex landscape of non-tariff measures, ultimately leading to more effective market access strategies and improved trade performance. Trade Facilitation: The unit assists least developed and developing countries to reduce the time and cost of cross-border transactions to make small businesses more competitive in international markets. Taking into consideration the business perspective, the unit supports governments, customs administrations, and other border regulatory agencies to identify trade challenges faced by companies, design solutions to improve the transparency and efficiency of cross-border formalities, and implement reforms trough legal upgrades, reengineered procedures, development and roll-out of IT systems and support the integration of digital technologies to enhance and streamline international trade processes. Finally, the unit supports businesses to comply with cross-border formalities and take advantage of international trade opportunities.

Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Director of the Division of Market Development (DMD), the Chief will be responsible for the following.

• Provides support to the Director of the Division of Market Development to develop organizational strategies and manage their implementation through intra and inter-divisional programmes, policies and procedures. Prepares inputs for the work programme of the Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
• Plans and oversees activities undertaken by the Business-driven Trade and Investment Facilitation section; ensures that substantive work programmes and activities are carried out in a timely fashion, coordinating diverse projects in the Section.
• Manages, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Section under his/her responsibility. Co-ordinates the work carried out by the Section; provides programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others.
• Provides substantive input in the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Joint Advisory Group and the Consultative Committee of ITC Trust Fund, funders and beneficiaries, as appropriate. These include reporting on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate.
• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Section maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Section meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.
• Prepares inputs for the work programme of the Division, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
• Carries out programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Section, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates.
• Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision.
• Recruits staff for the Section taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values.
• Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Section and across organizational boundaries.
• Represents the Organization at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc. on issues covered by the Section.
• Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on issues covered by the Section, or holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
• Leads the conceptualization, development, implementation, and monitoring of projects and programmes focused on trade facilitation and business diagnostics for exporting SMEs, ensuring integration with ITC’s services and corporate programmes.
• Develops working relationships with national, regional and international partners to increase ITC’s technical assistance portfolio, particularly through fundraising activities.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Understanding of the international trading system’s rules and regulations, and of the content and functioning of national and regional export measures and procedures. Knowledge of trade facilitation issues, including elimination of NTMs. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments. Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards. Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules. Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments. Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks. Clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals. Generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction. Conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities;
• Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow. Empowers others to translate vision into results. Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives. Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support. Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions. Drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo. Shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing;
• Judgement/decision making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before making a decision. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, finance or related area such as economics or international trade. A first-level university degree in the above subjects in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of ten years (12 with a first level university degree) of progressively responsible experience in international trade, trade law, business management, or related field is required. Experience with border, customs and freight forwarding issues is desirable. Experience managing development projects, from concept through plan and implementation is desirable. Experience fundraising for development projects is desirable. Experience in high level organizational representation and advocacy is desirable.

Languages

• For the position advertised, fluency in English is required; and knowledge of French is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

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